


The Joys of Life

by ElizaMay36



Category: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra | Phantom of the Opera & Related Fandoms
Genre: E/C, F/M, Phantom of the Opera - Freeform, The Joys of Life, childhood AU, erik x christine
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-03
Updated: 2019-05-03
Packaged: 2020-02-18 12:05:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18699265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElizaMay36/pseuds/ElizaMay36
Summary: What might have happened if Erik had been saved by Christine and her father? And how would his character and life change if he grew up being surrounded by love and music? How would his relationship with Christine change?A Childhood AU filled with fluff.





	The Joys of Life

It was a cool winter’s evening when the snow began to fall in the French countryside. It glistened in the pale moonlight as it softly fell from the heavens and covered the rolling hills he could just see on the horizon. This, Erik thought, would be a very peaceful thing to see right before he died. 

Covered head to toe in oozing, bleeding cuts and dark bruises, the child wore nothing but a thin pair of shorts, and other than that, he lay bare and cold in the horrid chill of winter’s night. A slight breeze blew through his cage, chilling him to the bone, but to even cuddle or curl up for warmth would leave his broken body screaming in pain. So, he laid completely still on his stomach, his body shaking furiously with the cold causing him to ache. The cuts and slices stung as the wind blew through, and the bruises throbbed. His head had begun to hurt as well, and his nose, or lack thereof, was beginning to feel wet. He was growing ill, he realized.  
Maybe he would die tonight. Maybe god would finally show him some mercy and rid him from his wretched existence. It couldn’t be that bad…. Dying, you know. Maybe he would succumb to his wounds that could be infected. Or maybe this sickness would grow to be too much and his body would just shut down. Or maybe he’d freeze to death. Either way, he didn't care. If he was dead, that meant no more humiliation. No more beatings. No more pain. Just peace and relief. 

He closed his eyes, drawing out a long, shaky breath. He clenched his fists to try and get some feeling back into his hands. Every part of his skin was numb, and a pricking warmth had begun to spread throughout him. The cold was beginning to burn. 

As he lay there, injured, cold, and wishing for death, he did not see the small, blonde girl approaching his cage. In fact, it wasn’t until he heard her speak that he realized she was even there. 

“H-hallå,” a small voice said, cutting through the winter silence that had filled Erik’s ears. He opened his eyes and glanced over. When he saw her, he was sure he was dead and she was his guardian angel. That, or his fever was so high that he was beginning to hallucinate. But this vision was so strange and beautiful that he forced himself to sit up through the pain so that he could get a better look at her. This creature… Had a head full of curly, poofy, blonde hair. Her eyes, bright and blue, were curious and dare he say… Concerned?

He stared at her for a few moments before he forced a smile. 

“Bonjour?” he replied timidly. The girl smiled suddenly and nodded. 

“Ah, of course. You’re French.” This was… An odd thing for her to say. He was a monstrous looking child, with a deformed face, beaten body, but the first thing she points out is that he’s French?

“Um… Yes. I am. Aren’t you also French?” he asked her, scooching closer to the cage bars. It hurt every part of him to move, but this girl was so intriguing, that even if she was a mere vision, he had to get a closer look at her. 

“No, I’m Swedish,” The girl stated matter-of-factly, as if the question was quite a stupid one for him to ask. 

“Oh… Right.” An awkward silence fell upon the two before the girl spoke again. 

“Hey… Are you okay? I saw that man hurting you earlier. I… Wanted to stop him, but I couldn’t. Are you hurt very badly” Erik’s eyes widened in surprise. This strangers concern for him left him speechless. She knew nothing about him, and he was a horrible, monstrous looking little creature. Why did she care if he was alright? 

“Um… I’m fine. I’m use to it now, you know… The beatings. I’m pretty sore, but… I guess other than that I’m okay. Were… You at the show today?” he asked. 

“You call it a show? That’s certainly not what I’d call it… But yeah. Well… not really. We were really just passing by. My Papa wanted to know if there was a place around here where we could spend the night, and when we saw people we decided to ask around. Papa found some man and as they were talking I just looked up and… Well… There you were.” The girl got quiet for a moment and looked down at her feet. “I’m… Really sorry that I didn’t do anything. I was really scared when I saw him beating you… But I also felt very sad for you. And… Now that I can see you more clearly, I feel even more guilty for not doing anything.” 

He was completely dumbfounded. This girl who appeared to be a few years younger than himself, for some reason he could not fathom or understand, seemed to really genuinely care about his well being. Why, everyday he saw girls about her age at his shows. They would scream and gawk when it came time for his unmasking. Some would cry while others hid behind their mother’s skirts in horror. Others would look repulsed and disgusted. He could always picture their snobby little voices asking their parents why that thing was so ugly. Why, then, was this little girl so different? Why did she care?

“It’s… It’s fine. Besides, Javert is a very large man, and no offence but you… You are kind of-”

“Small?” she asked, cutting him off. Erik bit his lip awkwardly and nodded. 

“Yes… small. With his larger stature, I’m afraid there wasn’t much you could have done to prevent it mademoiselle.” 

“Maybe. Still, why was that man hurting you? Is he your father? He doesn’t seem like a very nice one if he is.” 

“No,” Erik said rather quickly, his eyes darting away to avoid her’s. “No, he’s not my father.” The girl nodded slowly. 

“I didn’t think so…. I’m sorry he hurt you like that though.” Erik could hardly believe this curly blonde haired child before him. With her was so much compassion that he began to  
fumble over his words as he tried to answer her. 

“It’s…. It’s fine. And besides it’s nothing for you to worry about.” He stuttered quietly. The girl smiled again, this time though her eyes looked sad. She suddenly stuck her hand out to him through the bars. 

“My name is Christine,” she said, “Christine Daaé. What’s your name?” 

Erik was cautious to take her hand, but seeing as how she wasn’t any threat to him, he slowly reached out his hand and shook hers softly. 

“I’m Erik. Just Erik,” he said slowly. 

“Well, ‘Just Erik’, I have a surprise for you,” Christine said quite gleefully. 

“Oh, really?” Erik inquired with a slight smirk. “And what’s that?”

“Well, you see silly, I’m getting you out of here.” His heart stopped beating he was sure of it. She was going to do what? Quickly, he began to doubt everything. What were her true intentions for being so kind to him, because no one could really be as kind and compassionate as she. And if she was being true, how the hell did she intend to get him out of this cage? He could see no lock pick or knife, so how did she plan to unlock it? But even then, was she even real? Was she a hallucination brought on by fever? Or was he dead, and she his guardian angel sent to bring him to heaven? His already pounding headache even more now with these swirling questions.

“Are… Are you real?” he asked as straightforward as he could, leaning his head against the bars so he wouldn’t pass out. Christine glanced up at him as she took a hair pin out from a pocket in her skirt and began to fiddle with the lock. 

“Yes, I am. What kind of question is that? Now shush, I’m going to need to concentrate,” Christine replied quickly as she began to try and jiggle open the lock.  
Erik watched in bewildered wonder as Christine worked to pry open his cage. A part of him was still questioning if she was real, the other part of him that had accepted her as part of his reality questioned her true reasoning as to being kind to him and helping him escape. But even then, deep down there was a small voice that told him he could trust her. This voice did not question if she were real, and it did not question her kindness. The small voice had faith in her too, and believed that she would and could get him out of here.  
He’d just begun to close his eyes, listening to the small voice in his head while trying to push away the other two, when the faint clicking of the lock being broken met his ears. His eyes shot open and darted down to meet her’s. Her blue gaze was wide, surprised, and happy. With a small, dumbfounded smile, Christine slowly opened the door to his cage. The two sat there for a moment, eyes fixed on each other with no bars to obstruct their view of one another. The feeling Erik had… Was overwhelming and exhilarating. This… Clear view meant freedom, as did the small blonde headed girl who stood in this view. Tears flooded his eyes at this new possible freedom that would mean he could continue living. He was so overwhelmed that it took Christine stepping closer and softly grabbing his hand to snap out of his trance like state. 

“Come on,” she said, her voice hushed and excited. Erik nodded, and smiling through tears, he pushed himself closer to the edge. He’d just slid himself off, his bare, bruised feet hitting the cold wet snow, sending a jolting pain up his legs. Still… Just to be out of that cage was enough to bring tears rolling down his cheeks. 

“Thank you,” Erik whispered, his voice quivering with emotion. Christine smiled and gently patted Erik’s shoulder, which slightly startled the poor boy. 

“You’re welcome.” With this, the smaller girl took his hand and began to lead him away from his cage. She lead him through the small gypsy camp, lead him till they were just on the edge, and it wasn’t until they’d reached that point that the feeling of dread Erik felt began to slowly fade away. He’d been sure someone would wake up and catch them, for this was too easy, too good to be true. But no one did, and Christine continued to lead him away from that horrid place.  
They walked a little ways, and before Erik knew it, the camp was rather far behind him. They were a safe distance away now when she let go of his hand and continued walking. Erik stood there, not sure as to what he should do. Sure he was free now, as simple as it had been, but… What now? Where was he going to go? Plus he still had a lot of questions for Christine. Why had she helped him? Why did she care?

Christine had realized that he wasn’t following her anymore, and now turned back around to face him. 

“Well?” She asked. “Aren’t you coming?”

“Coming? Where?” He replied. The girl snorted, a very odd sound Erik had to admit, but one he assumed meant she found something funny. 

“Well, aren’t you coming with me?” she asked with a smile. Erik didn’t reply, and then Christine’s face fell as if she realized something. “Oh… Do you have somewhere else to go?”

“What?” He asked. Christine awkwardly averted her eyes down to her feet as she pursed her lips. 

“I… I thought you’d be coming with me. I didn’t realize… Or I didn’t bother to think that you had a family or someone to return to…,” she trailed off rather awkwardly. Erik blinked several times before it clicked and he realized what she meant. 

“Oh! No… No, I don’t have any family.” 

“Oh…,” Christine said, her tone now sympathetic. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine… But no… I really don’t have anywhere to go.”

“Well… You can come with me…,” Christine offered with a smile. Erik thought for a moment. 

“Do… You mean that?” he asked nervously. Christine giggled as she walked the short distance back to him. 

“Of course I do! We have plenty of food to share, and blankets too! Plus, Papa loves everyone, so I’m sure he’d be happy to have you stay with us,” Christine chirped. 

“Would he really be okay with that?” Erik asked, growing cautious with just how to perfect this whole situation seemed. Christine smiled and nodded. 

“Of course. Don’t even think about it, just say yes!” 

“I… I don’t know… You’ve done so much for me already-” Christine cut Erik off before he could finish. 

“Nonsense! Please, come with me. My papa and I are staying the night in a small farmhouse just a little ways from here. It’s warm there, and we have food if you’re hungry. I think papa even has some things he could use to tend to your injuries.” Erik thought long and hard. This was all to good to be true. Nothing this good ever happened to him. And even if it did, he wasn’t worth any of this kindness. Still… She was insistent, and he could certainly use a place to stay for the night. He sighed heavily before he forced a smile. 

“Okay… I’ll come with you.” Christine beamed up at him, and seeing this small child he barely knew happy made himself happy. She gently took his hand and began to lead him again. 

“Come on. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can get warm,” Christine said. Erik waited for a few minutes, allowing them to walk in silence before he asked;

“Christine… Why did you save me?” 

Christine looked at him for a moment before turned back to look ahead of them. 

“Because, when I saw you earlier today, I was upset about how that man was treating you. I didn’t want you to stay there,” she said simply. Erik frowned, feeling like this didn’t fully answer his question, so he pushed further, asking the one that was truly burning inside him. 

“Yes, but why do you care? You didn’t know me. You still don’t really know me. So why do you care so much? It be much simpler for you to just not care, wouldn’t it? Besides, you risked your life doing what you did tonight. Javert… I mean, the man you saw today… He could have killed us both if he’d found us. So… Why would you do any of this? Why are you being nice to me?” 

Christine was quiet for a few moments before she replied. 

“Papa has always taught me, that no matter what, a person is a person. When I saw that man, Javert you called him? Well, when I saw him beating you today in front of those people, and I saw that small crowd scream at you and watched them gawk and laugh at your pain, I felt… Angry. And sad. I mean, they’re all people, are they not? But… You are too. You’re a person, Erik. So… How could people find entertainment in another person’s expense.” Erik felt tears well up in his eyes again. He was a person. No one had ever spoken to him as Christine was speaking to him now. 

“I was so upset, I couldn’t stop thinking about you the rest of the day. I’d wanted to help, or say something, but father had dragged me away. I was so worried about you that I couldn’t even eat dinner. I decided that I had to come back and rescue you. I didn’t know how, but I was going to do it. No one deserves to be treated like how you were treated today, Erik.” Christine got quiet now, and the two continued to walk slowly. She squeezed his hand suddenly though, and smiled up at him. “But… I hope now things are going to be better. Maybe you can stay with me and Papa, or at least stay as long as you want. Do you have any friends Erik?”

“No,” Erik murmured, tears rolling down his cheeks. “No, I don’t.”

“Can… Can I be your friend?” She asked. Erik without thinking, squeezed her hand back and nodded. 

“Yes… I’d like that very much, Christine,” He choked out as small sobs began to build up in his throat. Christine smiled, and tightly held his hands. 

“I’m glad you like that, Erik. I’m happy to be your friend.”


End file.
